A BLACK THING: MO BETTER BLUES, TO SLEEP WITH ANGER, HOUSE PARTY
When Spike Lee's DO THE RIGHT THING came out in 1989, it was more than just a terrific film and a controversial one. It was also a signal that African-American filmmakers were here to stay, and they were not going to go away anytime soon. 1990 didn't see any movies from African-American filmmakers with the ambition of DO THE RIGHT THING, but it did see steps forward for them.
One of those steps came from Lee himself, even though MO' BETTER BLUES was also less ambitious than DO THE RIGHT THING. Even though Lee once again talked a lot about the importance of his film - this time, in relation to how he felt previous Hollywood films about jazz, even such acclaimed films as ROUND MIDNIGHT and BIRD, had gotten it wrong - and once again attracted controversy - this time for the portrayal of two Jewish characters (played by John and Nicholas Turturro - in the movie - MO' BETTER BLUES is primarily a musical and a love story, without a message. And while it's not as good as DO THE RIGHT THING, it's still quite good in its own right.
The story focuses on Bleek (Denzel Washington), a virtuoso trumpet player. He heads a quintent (known as the Bleek Quintet) which consists of himself, sax player Shadow Henderson (Wesley Snipes), pianist Left Hand Lacey (Giancarlo Esposito), bassist Bottom Hammer (Bill Nunn), and drummer Rhythm Jones (Jeff Watts). Bleek is dedicated to music and his trumpet, but is screwed up everywhere else. He and Shadow are at opposite ends of the spectrum as far as music goes; Bleek wants to pursue art, while Shadow thinks the group should be more commercial. Bleek also allows his childhood friend Giant (Lee) to manage the band, even though Giant is using the band's money to run up gambling debts. Finally, Bleek is seeing two women, Indigo (Joie Lee, Spike's sister), a school teacher, and Clarke (Cynda Williams), a singer.
One thing Lee said he wanted to show is while the ability to play may be a gift, it's a gift you have to work at and develop, so we see scenes of Bleek practicing and working at his craft. He also fills the movie with a jazz atmosphere, from drenching it with music (sometimes a little too much) to the colorful sets and shadowy cinematography by Ernest Dickerson, Lee's frequent collaborator. Another contribution to the atmosphere comes from the late Robin Harris, an actor/comedian who plays Butterbean Jones, a comedian who entertains the crowds between bands at the Flatbush Club (where the Bleek Quintet usually performs). And it's in what the characters talk about, as with Bleek and Shadow arguing about their band's direction, or Shadow and Clarke talking about CD's at the music store where she works. The result is a movie which feels alive.
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